Shania Twain Feared She’d Never Record Another Album After Lyme Disease Damaged Her Vocal Cords

First for Women | April 5, 2018

In First for Women's exclusive cover story, country music icon Shania Twain reveals she is feeling great as she gears up for her international Now tour, kicking off May 3. Shania tells First for Women that she chooses to focus on her triumphs. “I’m feeling really good,” she tells First. “I’m feeling like I’ve achieved an enormous amount in the last couple of years.”

She sure has. In addition to releasing her first studio album in 15 years, she also made her acting debut in the new film "Trading Paint", out June 1. Releasing a new album was a special accomplishment for her — after complications from Lyme disease left her vocal cords damaged, Twain worried she might never record another album. “I had gone through so many scary times with my voice and getting my voice back,” she admits to First. “I wondered if I would ever be able to record an album again and put a permanent stamp on a body of work. I was petrified about diving into the album and taking on the challenge.”

But Shania refused to let fear hold her back — and she knew just what she had to do. “I felt, personally, I needed to do it and rediscover a lot of things about myself,” she tells the mag. “Once I dove in, the confidence started to build from that point on." Shania’s hard work paid off: Her album Now debuted to critical acclaim, and she’s thrilled to get to share it with her fans on tour. “I’m looking forward to this tour like no other,” she tells First. “Being able to take this music live to everyone is surreal for me.”

For more on Shania Twain, and to read her top wellness strategies that keep her feeling good, pick up the new issue of FFW, on stands now!

Shania Twain is back, and she's better than ever. The 52-year-old will hit the road next month to kick off her global Now Tour, in celebration of her new record, Now, which marks her first new set of tunes in 15 years.

Twain's return to the spotlight is especially meaningful, since there was a time she thought she may not ever be able to sing again, after being diagnosed with dysophonia, a vocal problem she encountered after contracting Lyme disease.

“I had gone through so many scary times with my voice and getting my voice back,” Twain tells First for Women. “I wondered if I would ever be able to record an album again and put a permanent stamp on a body of work. I was petrified about diving into the album and taking on the challenge.”

Twain has undergone several trials since Up! was released in 2002. In addition to her illness, Twain ended her marriage with her first husband, producer Mutt Lange, after he admitted to an affair with Twain's close friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud.

But Twain, who later married Thiébaud's husband, Frédéric Thiébaud, learned to overcome her challenges. In 2012, Twain returned to the concert stage, launching a two-year residency, Shania: Still the One in Las Vegas, beginning her comeback into country music.

“I’m feeling really good,” says Twain. “I’m feeling like I’ve achieved an enormous amount in the last couple of years.”

For Twain, Now became the opportunity to show her fans who she really is, both the highs and the lows.

"It was really just all about me speaking everything that was in my heart and mind," Twain says, adding that the record "is not a divorce album."

"I've never written an album that has not been collaborative or uninfluenced by another thinker, by another heart," Twain continues. "So this is my chance to do something very, very pure."

Now also became the Canadian's way to show life goes on after heartache.

"The album does not highlight the divorce," Twain notes. "I just think in people's minds, that is my highlight low but in perspective now and during the process of writing the album, I was reflecting more on my whole life and all of the ups and downs of my whole life. There have been many ups and downs."

Twain will also make her acting debut in the new film, Trading Paint, starring John Travolta, and scheduled for a June release.

Now is currently available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes. Twain's tour will kick off on May 3 in Tacoma, Wash. Dates can be found on her website.